


Somewhere Only We Know

by were1993



Series: Tumblr Prompts [2]
Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, age order is scrambled, crime syndicates w/ mentions of human drug and weapon trafficking, minghao is an unreliable narrator (or just OOC), random super junior members lmao, rival gang AU, side jigyu side cheolsoo, some of thats important some of it isn't, things aren't always as hao perceives it
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-25
Updated: 2019-05-25
Packaged: 2020-03-17 03:58:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18957409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/were1993/pseuds/were1993
Summary: With tensions running high between the Kim and Jeon family, Xu Minghao means to kill the Jeon heir but, instead, finds himself protecting Jeon Wonwoo.After a tiny bit of deception, Minghao thinks he can keep up his cover and figure out exactly what his relationship with Wonwoo is, but life is never that simple.





	Somewhere Only We Know

**Author's Note:**

> Original request: Wonhao prompt where Wonwoo is the feared successor for a gang but he's actually completely harmless and is just intimidating glares and sharp cheekbones. Minghao is an assassin/spy sent from another gang and finds himself protecting Wonwoo instead of taking him out. Can be serious or fluff! Up to you -cheolhao anon <3

**Third Time's the Charm**

\--- 

Xu Minghao wonders how he got here.

“Move, move, move!” Minghao yells. He grabs the Jeon boy and pulls him along. Minghao is nothing if not fast. He quickly rolls both of them behind the concrete wall. Bullets blast the ground they had just been standing on, following them to their hiding spot. “Fucking hell.” 

He had not expected the ambush from a new but ambitious street gang. Usually, the Jeon name itself brought people to tears so for these newbies to be so bold— _little punks_ , Minghao curses under his breath and waits for the gunfire to cease. Hah, they are bold but still so new. It’s a fucking concrete wall in a parking structure. Don’t waste bullets like that!

“I—thank you,” his companion breathes. Minghao looks over to the Jeon family’s future leader and he can almost swear he sees a halo atop the boy’s head. Twenty-two-year-old Jeon Wonwoo looks like an innocent student who is in the wrong place at the wrong time with his oversized cardigan, book-heavy backpack, and round reading glasses. To think that he’s going to be the future leader of a powerful crime syndicate in Seoul leaves a bad taste in Minghao’s mouth. 

“Don’t thank me,” Minghao sighs. The gunfire stops and Minghao takes a slight peek beyond the crumbling concrete wall—a bullet whizzes past his ear and Minghao retreats. He presses his back against the wall and thinks. 

 _Two of us, maybe four of them_ , Minghao starts planning. They are two levels below in an underground parking structure with only two ways up—one, the currently blocked vehicle path or two, the stairs. Minghao flicks open his phone and opens it on the self-camera mode. Tilting the phone, the Chinese man finds the green exit light—a car or two in front of the newbie gangsters. 

Minghao only has one gun on him, but he figures he doesn't need it. If Wonwoo has half the skills of his own gang’s successor had, then they would be fine.

“Did Jun send you?” Wonwoo asks awkwardly. Minghao scowls at the mention of the Chinese gangster. He’s never met Wen Junhui, but the bastard’s reputation precedes him—efficient but annoying as _fuck_.

“No, I just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Minghao lies through his teeth. What else is he going to say— _I’m here to kill you, but plans don’t always go as expected_?

“Oh, well, you can go,” Wonwoo says. “I know they’re here for me, and well, if you’re not part of the family, I don’t want you to get caught up in all of this.”

Minghao whips his head around and stares incredulously at the other. He says bluntly, “You’re going to die then.” 

“If you don’t leave, you are going to die,” Wonwoo says firmly. “I appreciate your help, but it’s not worth losing your life over. _I’m_ not worth losing your life over.”

Minghao opens his mouth and closes it. He’s at such a loss of words. He’s heard that the Jeon family heir is a strange one but not this odd.

“I’m the Jeon family’s heir,” Wonwoo introduces. Any ordinary civilian would have probably run off screaming, but Minghao is not another civilian. Not that the Jeon boy knows that. “It may be a good thing for this legacy to end with me.” 

Minghao frowns. He’s heard this self-righteous talk from their own successor, and honestly, it angers him more than anything else.

“Okay, here’s the thing,” Minghao growls. He riles himself up for the same tirade he’s been giving to his best friend for the past thirteen years. “Just because you die, do you think that will end crime?”

Wonwoo looks at him with wide eyes.

“Will your entire organization suddenly collapse because one of many heirs dies?” Minghao continues with his voice slowly rising in volume. A stupid thing to do in a parking structure where people are trying to kill them, but Minghao can’t help it. He’s dealt with such bullshit reasoning for too long. “If you die, _someone will take your place_.”

“I—better them than me,” Wonwoo says gently.

“Okay, now you’re just in self-deprecation mode,” Minghao groans. He pulls out his gun and hands it to Wonwoo. “We’re going to get out of here and then I’ll educate you on why that’s the _stupidest_ idea ever.”

“I don’t know how to use this,” Wonwoo admits, flushing pink. Minghao is speechless for a second time in five minutes. Is this how heirs were supposed to be brought up? Were they just too hard on Mingyu?

“Wonwoo!”

Minghao jumps at the accompanying crash. Then gunshots and dying cries rang throughout the parking garage.

“Wonwoo!” the same voice calls again with frantic footsteps. Minghao moves quickly, grabbing the gun and shoving it into his bag.

“Oh, it’s Jun,” Wonwoo comments. He stays seated on the floor and waits for the footsteps to get closer. Pulling the drawstrings on his bag closed, Minghao turns just in time to see a well-pressed dress shirt and tall nose dash by him. 

Minghao tries not to glare on reflex. 

“Wonwoo! Are you okay?” Wen Junhui exclaims in concern. Junhui pulls up the Jeon successor and fusses over every single bit of dirt on Wonwoo’s clothes. “This is why I want someone to be with at all times because it’s not as safe as it once was. With your father in jail, we really can’t be—”

“Jun, I’m okay,” Wonwoo says firmly, pulling away from the other’s hands. Minghao glances down at the heir's clenched fist; Junhui hit a nerve.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to mention—”

“ _Moon Junhui_ ,” Wonwoo says warningly. Without the wide-eyed confusion, Jeon Wonwoo finally looked like the successor to the mafia. Dark eyes, firm frown, and a piercing glare, Wonwoo stares the other down. “I’m okay.”

“I—okay, um, who’s this?” Junhui fumbles over his words before waving towards Minghao.

“He saved my life,” Wonwoo said. “He was here by coincidence.”

“He did?” Junhui turns to Minghao with suspicious eyes. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”

“You don’t think anything is a coincidence,” Wonwoo snorts. He straightens his backpack and begins walking towards the exit. Wonwoo turns slightly and raises an elegant eyebrow at Junhui. “So, are we going to leave or wait for the police to catch us?”

“Oh, of course!” Junhui scrambles, giving orders with a few short words. There were loud footsteps and squeaking of car wheels. “I have your chauffeur waiting on the ground level.”

“I hope clean-up is quick,” Wonwoo comments. He glances at Minghao and smiles sadly. “Thank you, stranger. Thanks for staying.” 

Wonwoo walks away towards the exit stairs, and Minghao is rooted on the spot. He doesn’t even move when Junhui purposefully bumps into him. 

“Alright kid, you need to get out of here,” Junhui calls. Minghao blinks, and he walks out from behind the wall, seeing the blood splatter. Junhui texts someone quickly and before turning his attention to Minghao again. “Gotta make dead men move so go before I accidentally mix you up in there.”

Minghao frowns. He’s about to make a scathing retort to the other man but bites down on his lip. The Jeon’s don’t know who he is, and he is going to keep it that way, so Minghao nods and runs towards the stairs.

He reaches the ground level just in time to see a large car exit the parking structure. Minghao catches sight of the Jeon successor just as it stops and waits to turn. Wonwoo had changed into a black dress shirt and slicked his hair back—the perfect picture of an uptown gang leader. Minghao almost flinches when Wonwoo turns and catches his eye. The other man gave a small smile, and Minghao thinks he sees a halo again. 

The car drives away, leaving Minghao staring after it.

Well, this is unexpected. 

\---

“You did _what_?” Kwon Soonyoung, a senior member of the Kim family, groans. “I’m not going to tell Mingyu. You are telling Mingyu.” 

“I’m not telling Mingyu anything,” Minghao says petulantly. He’s _not_ pouting.

“What are we not telling me?” Mingyu asks, popping his head into the dining room.

“Myungho wasn’t going to tell you that he took orders from your dad to go and assassinate the Jeon family successor!” Soonyoung cries. There’s a moment of silence. Soonyoung looks at Minghao in shock, and the Chinese man merely shrugs— _you said it, not me_.

“Wait. _What_?” Mingyu shouts. He’s carrying a small pot of ramen, probably as a midnight snack back to his room, but the tall man rushes into the dining room, splashing some of the soup onto the table. Minghao picks up his tea just in time to miss the extra spicy and salty flavoring, but Soonyoung wasn’t so lucky. The older man looks forlornly at his spicy seafood ramen flavored coffee. “Hao, my dad’s in _jail_.”

“Yeah, so is the Jeon’s leader,” Minghao snorts. He sips his lukewarm coffee with a grimace.

“I thought we agreed that no one but Seungcheol-hyung was going to communicate with my dad!” Mingyu exclaims. The ramen swishes back and forth precariously, and Minghao is impressed their successor hadn’t dropped the whole pot altogether. “I don’t like this whole revenge killing idea.” 

“It happens much more often than we inform you of,” Soonyoung says timidly. Mingyu shoots him a betrayed look. “Well, okay, to be fair, Mingyu, you’re a student! A busy student with midterms and finals and the whole nine yards. We didn’t want to disturb—”

“Kwon Soon Young,” Mingyu says slowly, anger boiling in his eyes. Most days, Mingyu, the successor to the Kims, is the last person one would think to lead a crime syndicate—too righteous, too sweet, too naive. Surprisingly, holding a pot of ramen and wearing house slippers, Mingyu has never looked more like their future leader. “We are going out and _killing_ people. I think my academics can take a backseat to peoples’ lives.”

“This is why we didn’t want to say anything,” Minghao sighs. He’s been in the family for way too long, starting as Mingyu’s playmate and continuing to be the successor’s right-hand man. He knows Kim Mingyu well and has learned to filter all the information that got back to the righteous and sensitive man. “We either hold our punches with the Jeon’s and having lots of underlings die. Or we can hit them at the top and destroy the source.” 

“The Jeons have a line of successors,” Mingyu says with a deadpan voice. He raises an eyebrow— _and you were the one who told me that_. “Killing one of them isn’t going to do much good.” 

“Boss suggested that he could somehow finish off Old Man Jeon in prison,” Minghao shrugs. “If both father and son die, it’ll throw off the Jeons for a while. They’ll have to rehash their hierarchy, and we can push them out of the city once and for all.”

“Didn’t they say the Jeons had two sons?” Soonyoung asks, cocking his head to the side.

“The younger brother is out of the country,” Minghao answers. “America or England or whichever other country has like the red, white and blue flags. Four attempts on his life or something.” 

“Damn,” Mingyu whistles. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so thankful to my dad for not exposing my sister to any of that.” 

“Is she doing well in Canada?” Minghao asks. He knows the answer as he gets weekly reports from their men who protected her quietly, but Mingyu doesn’t need to know that. It only freaks him out, and the college student has midterms coming up.

“Yeah, I think she might be dating this guy now, and I don’t trust him,” Mingyu frowns. Minghao shrugs, the guy in question was as clean as one could be—ah, Mingyu can’t know that he knows.

“She’s dating? Oh, how the kids have grown,” Soonyoung sighs. He gives up and takes a sip of his ramen flavored coffee. The older man wrinkles his nose in distaste. “I’m getting old.”

“Don’t try to derail me,” Mingyu frowns. He turns to Minghao with a stern gaze. “Hao, don’t follow what my father says. Leave the Jeon successor alone.” 

“If he can keep this up, we might make a good leader out of him yet,” Soonyoung observes. 

Mingyu blinks and flushes with pride. If nothing else, he wants to be a good— _shit_ , Mingyu drops the pot of ramen. Thankfully, the soup is no longer scalding hot, but Minghao still scowls when he sees liquid splash onto his expensive shoes. 

“Do us a favor and be a mediocre leader,” Minghao sighs. “If you keep this up and ruin any of my collectibles, I’ll tell Lee Jihoon about that all the pictures you took—” 

“Please, don’t! I don’t want to die!” Mingyu cries with horrified eyes.

Minghao bites on his lip to keep from smiling. Oh, his young master’s crush on the successor of the Lee family was just too cute. Even if Lee Jihoon has shot Mingyu once, but eh, Minghao thinks the circumstances were sort of romantic. 

\---

Xu Minghao wonders how he got here. For the second time in a week. 

This time, he hadn’t been looking for trouble. This time, Minghao had been avoiding trouble.

“Shit, _move_!” Minghao yells, shoving Wonwoo behind a decorative pillar. The Chinese man went to the outdoor mall to check out some sales and maybe buy another coat. He hadn’t expected a gunfight to erupt right outside the store he had been milling around.

Having half a mind to ignore it, Minghao found himself charging outside at the sight of Jeon Wonwoo fleeing in the crowd. Once again, the college student was sporting some fluffy cardigan and carrying a book bag. Classic wrong place at the wrong time look, but Minghao isn’t stupid.

The gunfight must have something to do with the Jeon family.

“Hello stranger,” Wonwoo says with a breathless smile. “I’m starting to believe these aren’t coincidences.”

“Oh, believe me,” Minghao growls. He ducks behind a pillar next to Wonwoo’s and glares at the young college student. “They are, and they’re becoming quite inconvenient.”

“Well, sorry,” Wonwoo laughs. Minghao frowns. He was quite different from last time. Wonwoo smiles mischievously and makes a run for Minghao. Gunshots follow his steps, but the Jeon successor dashes forward fearlessly. He ducks into Minghao’s space, and Minghao could only gape in horror.

“You—they could have hit you!” Minghao sputters.

“Shopping?” Wonwoo asks, flicking the shopping tag on Minghao’s jacket. 

“Well, now I’m shoplifting thanks to you,” Minghao sighs.

“It looks good on you,” Wonwoo comments. He turns over the shopping tag and whistles. “You got expensive taste.” 

“Who are you and who the hell did I meet last time?” Minghao asks, yanking the tag out of Wonwoo’s hands.

“Well, stranger, I’m still the Jeon family successor,” Wonwoo shrugs. “Just this time, I’m here for work so not caught off guard.”

“For work,” Minghao echoes.

“Yep, in fact,” Wonwoo trails off and places a hand to his ear. Using his other hand, he slowly puts up one finger and then two. At three, the alarms started blaring, adding panic to the already chaotic crowd. “And that’s my cue that Jun succeeded.” 

The gunfire ceases, and police sirens blare.

“This group was being a little too aggressive in our territory. Sometimes we work with the local authorities for mutual benefit,” Wonwoo smirks. He takes out his phone and texts someone quickly. “I was surprised to see you again, but as my token of thanks for last time—”

Minghao blinks as Wonwoo reaches for the price tag again and snaps it off cleanly. 

“—consider it a gift,” Wonwoo says. He turns to leave. “It looks good on you. Wear it well, stranger.” 

“Myungho,” Minghao corrects. Wonwoo turns to him with a raised eyebrow. “My name is Seo Myungho.”

“Hope we can meet under different circumstance next time, Myungho-ssi,” Wonwoo smiles. And Minghao swears his heart skipped a beat.

\---

Minghao follows Jeon Wonwoo once—just for intel, he tells himself.

It’s a rainy weekday. The college student runs through the downpour with his books clutched to his chest, and head ducked. Minghao doesn’t hasten his steps even when Wonwoo disappears around the corner. He knows where the young man is going so he strolls leisurely with his jacket hood pulled over his head.

Minghao heads up the steps of the lecture hall and stops at the door. He looks up at the modern university building and wonders how it would feel like to go to class here—shaking his head, Minghao snickers. That would be living too normal of a life: waking up and running to class and hanging out with friends after class and—ah, maybe in another life.

He pushes the door open and pushes back his hood. In the corridor, a few stragglers run up the stairs, disappearing into classrooms, and Wonwoo is nowhere in sight. The college student is probably already in his second-floor classroom, and while Minghao had no intention of following him that closely, he finds himself climbing the stairs. 

After a moment of hesitation, Minghao pushes open the classroom door and finds a seat in the back. Some heads turn, but most of the students are used to such interruptions—including Wonwoo, sitting two rows down. With his hood pulled down over his eyes, Minghao merely observes the college student. He isn’t watching the way the other would stretch his neck from side to side or how his fingers combed through those dark strands or how his ears wiggled when he yawned.

When Wonwoo puts his head down and dozes off, his friend lightly taps his head, but the college student merely shifts away. Minghao imagines that a little noise of protest must have happened as his friend bursts out in quiet giggles. Minghao smiles and the professor drones on about the subconscious.

Minghao doesn’t remember how a formal classroom setting worked, but he knows he’s not cut out for it. He doesn’t even remember when he fell asleep. Minghao peels his forehead off the wooden desk and blinks the sleep away. Getting up to stretch, Minghao accidentally knocks something off the table—an umbrella.

Picking it up, Minghao spies a post-it note stuck to the handle. There’s no name, and he doesn’t recognize the handwriting, but there is no doubt about it.

_Stay dry. That jacket was expensive._

Walking out the classroom with a slight bounce to his step, Minghao flushes as he swings the umbrella by the strap. If he had a stupid smile on his face when he returned home, Mingyu doesn’t say anything. Instead, the younger wiggles his eyebrows suggestively, but Minghao eats his dinner in pleasant silence.

Mingyu pouts at the lack of reaction, and Minghao merely smiles widely in response.

\---

“That’s a nice jacket you have there,” Seungcheol comments. 

“Thanks,” Minghao says. He weighs the words in his mind carefully. “It…it was a gift.” 

“If Myungho is shy, there must be a lucky woman,” Seungcheol teases. “Or maybe a man?”

“It was just a gift,” Minghao says firmly. If it were indeed a partner, Minghao would be even more hesitant to release such information. 

Choi Seungcheol is not a man to underestimate. Even though he no longer runs the circles like he used to, the older member was still a force to be reckoned with. Having lived and breathed the underground life for so long, Seungcheol automatically searched for people’s weaknesses—be it enemies or allies. The more information one has, the more power one holds, and Minghao would never forget that lesson.

He trusted Seungcheol with his life, and the older man has consistently proven himself to be worthy of that trust. However, Minghao would never voluntarily tell the older man about his personal life. That was no longer about trust; it was about power. Moreover, Minghao would never give Seungcheol any more power over him than he already has—which was quite a lot already.

“Alright, alright, let the kids be kids,” Seungcheol chuckles, putting up his hands in mock surrender. “You should think about settling down though Myungho. Youth is the greatest blind side, and in our line of work, it’s not recommended to mix personal and professional.” 

“Is that why Jisoo-hyung knows nothing?” Minghao asks, biting his tongue a little too late. Minghao inhales and waits. If Seungcheol was having a bad day, he was a dead man. But if Seungcheol was—

The older man roars with laughter. Minghao exhales.

“Yes, that is exactly why Jisoo knows nothing,” Seungcheol chuckles; his face is red with glee. “Why involve my love if it’s not going to benefit either of us?” 

“Might be easier to find someone in the business then,” Minghao breathes. He says it lightly and without feeling. Give nothing away. 

“Well, unless you mean Mingyu”—Minghao chokes, _Mingyu_?—“I would advise against it,” Seungcheol sighs. He looks at the wall beyond Minghao’s head wistfully. “Loyalty is worth more than gold in our business. And loyalty knows no love.”

The Chinese man finally reigns in his coughing fit. He means to ask further— _loyalty is love, is it not?_ But the rest of the section leaders start walking in—Soonyoung with the most spring in his step.

“Hey, little boss!” Soonyoung calls out cheerfully. Minghao smirks as the rest of the section leaders flinch in fear or envy. Having known Seungcheol the longest, Soonyoung was probably the only one in the organization who dared address the older man out of turn. However, Seungcheol doesn’t respond, still looking to some faraway place. The section leader gives Minghao a questioning eyebrow raise, but Minghao could only shrug. 

“Ah, you’re all here,” Seungcheol says in quiet realization. His eyes refocus on the room of people. “I guess I should let you know what the Big Boss said, huh? So—”

\---

They don’t meet under different circumstances, and Xu Minghao was still wondering how he got here. Third times the charm, he supposes.

“Okay, you’re going to be okay, you’re going to be okay, Jun,” Wonwoo repeats in a panic. But this time, things were messy. A little too messy as Junhui bleeds on Minghao’s shirt. Junhui was propped up on both their shoulders as they ran farther from the loud fight. “Please, Jun, stay with us. You’re going to be okay.”

Once again, Minghao hadn’t been looking for trouble. He got a report that they were having problems with some of the suppliers and so he took a trip downtown to do a little personal investigation. One of the problems with being on the top for too long was relying heavily on subordinate reports and detaching from the real situation on the streets. Minghao refuses to be one of those superiors.

However, the problem wasn’t the suppliers. It was a rogue fraction of the Jeons, and Minghao walks into the said family cleaning up. If nothing else, Minghao respects the other gang’s decision to take care of their problems.

Minghao watches from the second floor of a vacant office building, observing how quick and efficient the Jeon members were. Surprisingly or maybe not, Wonwoo was there, leaning against one of the cars with his arms cross. The college student seemed bored in his sharp suit and hair slicked back—the classic apathetic boss, but even from far away, Minghao could see the successor flinch with every wounded scream.

Minghao unwittingly smiles. He might know another successor who looked the part but didn’t have the heart.

From his hidden spot, Minghao may or may not have been tracing the edges of Wonwoo’s jaw for a moment too long because the next thing he sees was someone charging at the young man.

He doesn’t even think twice before jumping out the open window. Minghao uses a wall-side pipe to soften the landing and runs. Unfortunately, having been so far in the first place, Minghao doesn’t make it. 

Junhui does, and he takes a knife to the gut for it. So Minghao does the second best thing—flinging the attacker with a one arm throw and grabbing them to get the fuck out of there. 

“Wo—wonwoo, please, just leave,” Junhui groans, shoving the younger man away. Minghao staggers under the weight of the other Chinese man—this little punk. “I’ve suffered far worse. Ju—ah, just get yourself to safety.”

“But you got stabbed,” Wonwoo stutters. 

“People live through stab wounds,” Minghao snaps. Wonwoo stares at him a little dumbstruck, and Junhui tilts his head toward Minghao thoughtfully. “Now, I’m sure you guys have your people on call. Call them.” 

“People on call?” Wonwoo repeats, looking at Junhui with confusion.

“Does the Jeon group not have a contracted hospital? A surgeon on call?” Minghao growls, tipping under the other Chinese man’s dead weight. No, Junhui was probably not going to die from this wound, but he had lost a lot of blood already. Also, if Minghao had to carry this guy for any longer, he might ‘unintentionally’ kill him. 

“I—I don’t know,” Wonwoo admits.

“Call Yoon Jeonghan,” Junhui breathes. The pain is evident on the man’s face, and Minghao admits he does feel for the other. Being stabbed in the gut is not the most pleasant of experiences.

“Jeong—okay,” Wonwoo says. He fumbles with his phone but manages to call. “Hyung? Uh, Junhui got stabbed and uh, do we have a—” Wonwoo looks to Minghao “—surgeon on call?” 

Minghao doesn’t hear the response, but it must have been something good. Wonwoo shouts a loud thank you and smiles widely at Minghao.

“They’re coming,” Wonwoo says breathlessly. 

“They won—won’t know where we are,” Junhui groans. “Go to the street. F—flag them down.” 

“Okay!” Wonwoo agrees, running down the alleyway in barely disguised relief.

Other than the occasional groan of pain, there was silence between the two Chinese men. Minghao tries to even out his nervous breathing, but the stifling atmosphere didn’t help at all.

“Seo Myungho, was it?” Junhui mutters, eyes half-lid in discomfort. “I don’t know who you are.” 

“I—” Minghao doesn’t get to finish as Junhui shoves him against the wall. For an injured person, Junhui had a strong and unwavering hold.

“You know too much about this life, and I don’t know who you are,” Junhui says slowly. “Are you from the Kims or are you just a local street thug? I don’t know, but I will tell you this. The Jeons aren’t as strong as we used to be.”

“If you don’t know who I am, shouldn’t I be the last person for you to tell that to?” Minghao questions with raised eyebrows.

“Our boss is in jail, and I’ll probably be out of commission for a couple of months,” Junhui continues, ignoring the other’s question completely. The Chinese man falters and falls forward, leaning his forehead against Minghao’s shoulder and hissing in pain. “And—and while I don’t trust you, you’ve appeared out of nowhere and protected Wonwoo more than once. I want you to continue protecting him.” 

“I could be conspiring to get close to him and then kill him,” Minghao scoffs. He's being completely truthful not that Junhui would know, and it feels good to be upfront and honest for once. Junhui lets out two sharp laughs. He leans back and looks at Minghao with amusement.

“True, you could be,” Junhui agrees. “But if that were the case, you might need to pull out of this operation and let someone else take over.” 

Minghao blinks at him in confusion.

“Right now you have the perfect chance to get rid of his right-hand man, and you haven’t yet,” Junhui states with a sly smile. “Wonwoo wouldn’t know the difference if I died of blood loss or if you took the last blow.”

“What if I only wanted to kill him?” Minghao retorts. He tries to shrug the other man off, but Junhui’s grip is amazingly steady. 

“Well, you’re doing a pretty bad job of that too,” Junhui chuckles. He smiles to some inside joke. “Your fondness is showing, Seo Myungho.” 

“I—” Minghao begins, but the screech of tires cut him off. 

“Junhui, sir! We’re here, sir!” a voice yells.

Minghao looks beyond the other’s shoulders, and the bright headlights blind him. His mind automatically responds with panic at the loss of sight and overload of noise. Silhouettes of people shifted around, and Minghao feels himself relaxing when he locates Wonwoo’s worried face amongst the chaos.

“Sir!” a flurry of hands try to move the injured man, but Junhui stops them with a quick wave of his hand. Minghao barely suppresses his automatic strike reflex when Junhui pulls him in by his collar.

“You will protect him,” Junhui states firmly, staring straight into the other’s eyes. His eyes soften a little, and his next words are a whisper next to his ear. “Wonwoo likes you too.”

Minghao freezes, eyes wide and mouth dry. The chaos begins moving again, carrying Junhui to the car and driving off. Minghao doesn’t move, mind processing the other man’s words. Wonwoo, does the Jeon heir really—?

“Seo Myungho-ssi.”

Minghao snaps his head towards the call. Wonwoo stands there with hands still covered in blood and shaking. The man looked so young and scared, and Minghao felt something tug at his heart.

“Are you okay?” Wonwoo asks slowly. There’s a slight tremble of his lip, but his voice is steady. 

Minghao snorts, “I should be asking you that. Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Wonwoo answers quietly. He looks at Minghao blankly. “Would…would you like me to walk you home?”

“Why?” Minghao asks bluntly. 

“In—in case it’s not safe?” Wonwoo says, but it ends up as a question. 

“Says the kid who can’t use a gun,” Minghao chuckles. 

“Kid? I can’t be that much younger than you,” Wonwoo frowns. 

“No, you’re probably not,” Minghao shrugs. But the Chinese man feels so much older next to the Jeon family successor. “Well, you don’t have Junhui following you and keeping you safe. So it may be best that I walk you home.” 

“I can take care of myself,” Wonwoo huffs. Minghao looks at the other’s trembling hands. Sure. “I just wanted to make sure you’re safe especially since you don’t have any obligation to look after me or anything—” 

“What if I want to make it my obligation?” Minghao asks. 

“What?” 

“What if I want to make it my obligation to look after you?” Minghao repeats, pulling out a handkerchief. He reaches for the other’s hands and slowly starts wiping off the drying blood. “What if I want to protect you?” 

“I—I don’t know—I don’t know what to say to that,” Wonwoo admits. 

“Just say okay,” Minghao laughs. The sound rings true in the empty alleyway. “I want to protect you. At least until your bodyguard man recovers.” 

“Okay,” Wonwoo breathes, flushing pink in the dim lights. Minghao realizes he wants to find every way to make Wonwoo blush. So when he presses a kiss against the other’s cheek, Minghao feels a burn of satisfaction at the red that colored everything from Wonwoo’s cheeks to his ears to the base of his neck. 

“Okay,” Wonwoo repeats. And Minghao thinks he falls a little more. 

\--- 

_**this could be the end to everything** _

_\---_

**Author's Note:**

> So this is something I started writing 2 years ago. If you've noticed, I don't describe settings or anything at all to be honest, I just jump straight into character dialogue lmao I no longer write like this (thanks jess, and i'm not being sarcastic XD) so it may seem weird/offputting to peeps who've read my other stuff? lmao this is basically writing regression so do forgive the quality. and lmao don't put too much thought into the whole rival gang thing, this is like kdrama level realness xD mostly for drama and getting people into unbelievable situations for drama.
> 
> Um, yeah, i don't write nor do i characterize the boys like this anymore, but this fic itself...i felt terrible for letting it lay waste when i have pretty much the entire story done (not written but the entire story outline/plot is done). it's a bit of a weird wild ride lmao So hopefully some of you will enjoy? 
> 
> Basic breakdown of the ages:  
> Wonwoo (21) – Heir to the Jeon Family  
> Minghao (24) – gyu's right hand man   
> Junhui (26) – wonwoo’s exasperated right hand man   
> Mingyu (19) – heir to the Kim’s legacy  
> Jihoon (20) – head of the Lee family <\-- doesn't actually show up, cameos more or less
> 
> Enjoy and let me know what you think? ^u^"


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